Educators must promote STEM Careers: Nursing is a STEM Career.

Educators must promote STEM Careers: Nursing is a STEM Career. There is a shortage of almost 1 million Nurses by 2025. We need more nurses and health career professionals!!!

Nursing has four primary components of STEM: science, technology, engineering and math. Is a career in Nursing considered STEM? The program includes a number of science courses–primarily in the “hard” sciences, such as anatomy and physiology, chemistry and microbiology–as prerequisites to entry into the program in addition to courses within the program that focus on both the acquisition and application of science-related content. In addition, other prerequisites included are technology and math courses.

Educational innovations in STEM are needed throughout the different stages of education, to equip students with the information, skills and knowledge required to promote their choice of STEM studies.

The President recognizes the importance of exposing all of our learners to STEM experiences. In his State of the Union address earlier this year, the President challenged all of us to provide every student with authentic STEM experiences to learn subjects like science, math, and computer science. (White House Blog, 2012)

Specifically, educational innovations that directly affect the following priority areas of action are necessary:

Psychological factor: Promoting the active involvement of students in recognizing their skills and interests and matching them with those required in STEM. Also, participation of teachers and families in this process, oriented to positive reinforcement (assessment and communication) of the scientific and technical capabilities of adolescents.

Informative factor: Academic and professional advice with the aim of publicizing job opportunities in the scientific and technical fields, not only through teaching staff at schools, but also through professionals in the STEM sectors.

Social factor: Improving the social image of STEM careers among the group of students and the general public, with special attention given to families.